This basket is essentially a drawstring bag joined to a fabric basket with handles. It's not hard to make, but it is quite a long tutorial. The finished dimensions - 7" x 4" x 6" (w x d x h), with the drawstring section adding roughly another 6" to the height.

2 pieces - 11.25 inches x 8.25 inches (28cm x 21cm) - light weight, fusible batting (such as Vilene H630) for the exterior of the basket. The batting is smaller than the fabric, to reduce bulk at the seams. As well as being fused to the fabric, the batting is held in place with quilting.

Edited to add:Handles - If the basket is going to be filled to capacity (ie; with the drawstring top extended), you may like to make longer handles. The shorter handles work fine when filled as per the photos in this tutorial. I've since made a sewing basket with 12" handles.

All seams are 3/8 inch (1cm), unless otherwise indicated.Follow manufacturer's directions for fusing interfacing and batting.
Use a NON steam setting for pressing seams, with the iron at the correct setting for both interfacing and fabric.
Using a needle for thicker fabrics, such as a denim or jeans needle, will help with sewing through multiple layers of fabric.

Sew interfacing to the wrong side of exterior fabric, to prevent movement.

Sew on all 4 sides, sewing 1/4 inch (6mm) from the edge of the fabric.

Fuse the batting to the interfacing which you've just sewn to the fabric, following manufacturer's directions. I always place a cloth under the iron.

If you wish, neaten all edges, with a zig zag stitch or overlocker (serger).

Attach interfacing to the lining fabric: (fusible interfacing)

Cut the iron-on interfacing a fraction smaller than the lining.

Fuse interfacing to the wrong side of the lining, following manufacturer's directions. I always place a cloth under the iron.

If you wish, neaten all edges, with a zig zag stitch or overlocker (serger).

Quilt exterior fabric:Increase stitch length to quilt the exterior fabric for the front and back of the basket, in the design of your choice. I used a stitch length of 3. On the car basket, I simply sewed 3 random vertical lines and 2 horizontal lines on the front and then again for the back. The quilting on the magical lands basket took longer, as I roughly followed the lines of the mountains and used different coloured threads. Sew front to back - exterior of basket:

With right sides together, sew down one side, stopping with the needle in the down position 3/8 inch (1cm) from the bottom edge.

Lift the presser foot and turn the fabric 90º.

Lower the presser foot and sew across the bottom, stopping with the needle in the down position 3/8 inch (1cm) from the side edge.

Lift the presser foot and turn the fabric 90º.

Lower the presser foot and sew the 2nd side.

Press seams open. Cover the batting with a cloth, so it doesn't come in direct contact with the iron.

Sew basket lining:

The two lining pieces are joined in the same way as the exterior fabric, except that a 4 inch (10cm) gap is left in the bottom seam, to allow turning later on.

With right sides together, sew down one side, stopping with the needle in the down position 3/8 inch (1cm) from the bottom edge.

Lift the presser foot and turn the fabric 90º.

Lower the presser foot and sew 4 inches (10cm) across the bottom. Stop and backstitch.

Leave a gap and begin sewing 4 inches(10cm)from the 2nd corner. Backstitch as you start sewing. Stop with the needle in the down position 3/8 inch (1cm) from the side edge.

Lift the presser foot and turn the fabric 90º.

Lower the presser foot and sew the 2nd side.

Press seams open.

Leave the lining wrong side out.

Sew boxed corners on exterior and lining fabric for the basket:

The size of the boxed corner will determine the shape and height of your basket. The car basket has a narrower boxed corner of 2", giving it a rectangular shape, while the magical lands basket has a boxed corner of 3", making the basket a squarer shape. The measurements below are for a 2" boxed corner.

Measure 2 inches (5cm) from the bottom corner seam in both directions. (Measure from the seam. Don't measure from the edge of the fabric.)

Put a mark at 2 inches (5cm). You will have two marks, both 2 inches (5cm) from the corner.

Pull out the sides of your basket.

Place one seam on top of the other seam.

Put a pin through the top mark. If the pin comes out through the mark on the other side, your boxed corner will line up.

If the pin is not coming out through the mark on the other side, reposition the fabric until it does.

Make sure the seams are open.

Holding the fabric in place, take the pin out and re-pin away from the marks.

With a ruler, draw a line across the fabric, at right angles to the seam and through the mark you made.

Remove the pin. Hand sew to hold in place, if you would like.

Sew across the line. Sew a couple of times for reinforcement.

Cut the fabric and neaten.

Repeat for the other three corners... (2 lining, 2 exterior)

Turn right side out and press the boxed corners. Cover the batting with a cloth, so it doesn't come in direct contact with the iron.

Measure 2" from corner

Check that the seams are lined up

Mark the sewing line

Remove pin, sew and neaten

Make the handles:

Fold in half lengthwise and press.

Open out so you can see the crease.

Fold each half in to meet the crease and press.

Open out one side.

Place the interfacing in the handle so it is touching the centre crease.

Fold the side over the interfacing.

Fold one side over the other side.

Topstitch 1/4 inch (6mm) from the edge, on both sides of each handle. Increase stitch length to 3.0 for the topstitching.

Fold and press handle. Place interfacing inside handle.

Press handle and topstitch.

Attach handles to the exterior of the basket:

Find the centre point, of the top of the exterior fabric, between the side seams.

Place each inside edge of the end of the handle 1 inch (2.5cm) from the centre, with the handle against the right side of the fabric. There should be 2 inches (5cm) between the inside of the handles.

Pin the handles to the exterior, with the pin well away from the stitching line, to avoid the presser foot.

Sew 3/8 inch (1cm) from the edge.

Sew back and forth a few times to reinforce.

2. MAKING the DRAWSTRING TOP...

There are 4 pieces of fabric (12" x 7") for the drawstring top: 2 for the lining and 2 for the exterior.

When I made the first basket with the car fabric, I made the drawstring top 12" x 9" and it's fine, but I feel the second basket in blue and pink, is more in proportion with a drawstring top of 12" x 7".

Sew drawstring lining:

With right sides together sew each side seam. Do NOT sew the bottom.

Probably not necessary, but I neaten the edges, sewing each side separately so the seam can be opened out.

Press seams open.

Sew the drawstring exterior:

On both long sides measure and mark .5 inch (1.3cm) and 1 inch (2.5cm) from the top edge. This will be the opening for the drawstring casing. The width of the opening will depend on the width of the cord. If in doubt, make the opening larger rather than smaller.

With right sides together, sew from the top edge to the first mark. Backstitch to secure.

Backstitch as you start and sew from the second mark to the bottom.

Repeat Steps 2 & 3 for the other side.

Leave the bottom open.

Neaten each side of the side seams separately by opening out the edges. I wouldn't skip neatening the edges for this step, as it will prevent stray threads from coming out with the drawstring cord.

Secure the drawstring opening, by sewing back and forth a couple of times at both ends of the opening.

Stitch the seam on either side down. You are basically sewing a square around the opening.

Mark the opening for the drawstring casing.

Neaten seams.

Reinforce drawstring opening.

Attach the drawstring lining to the drawstring exterior:

My lining and exterior fabrics are both the same colour.

Place the exterior inside the lining. ie: the right side of the drawstring top is next to the right side of the lining.

Line up the top edges of the lining and the exterior.

Sew the top edges of the lining and the exterior.

As you sew over the side seams, make sure the seams are open.

Neaten the seam.

Turn drawstring top right side out.

Press the top edge of the bag.

From here on, the drawstring lining and the drawstring exterior will be referred to as one, the drawstring top.

Drawstring Casing:

Stitching through both the exterior and lining, sew around the drawstring top, starting and ending at the top of the reinforcement for the opening for the drawstring. This will be about 1/8 inch (3mm) from the top edge.

Sew another line of stitching, starting and ending at the bottom of the reinforcement for the opening for the drawstring. This will be about 6/8 inch (19mm) from the top edge. Line up the second row of stitching with the first row.

The photo above was taken after the basket was finished, as I forgot to take a photo of this step. You could add the drawstring cord now, but I think it's best to add it as the very last step, so the cord doesn't get in the way during the next step.

3. JOINING the BASKET to the DRAWSTRING TOP...

You now have three layers to put together: exterior of basket, drawstring top and lining of basket. This will be done in two steps.

You will be sewing through several layers of fabric, so go slowly till you see the how your machine handles it. You may find you need to use the handwheel of your machine to sew through the thick sections, such as the handles.

Use a denim or jeans needle on your machine.

Attach drawstring top to exterior of basket:

Turn the main basket right side out. (exterior fabric is on the outside)

Turn the drawstring top inside out. The opening for the casing should be on the inside. (lining fabric is on the outside)

Slide the drawstring top over the fabric basket, right sides together. Tuck the handles in between the basket and the drawstring top.

Baste (hand sew) the top edges of the basket and the drawstring top to hold in place.

Sew a 3/8 inch (1cm) seam to join the top edges of the lining and the exterior, making sure all seams are open.

Remove basting.

Attach the lining to the basket and drawstring top:

Turn the basket lining inside out.

Slide the lining over the drawstring top. (The drawstring top is already attached to the basket.)

Line up the top edges of the drawstring top, with bag attached, and the lining.

Match the seams on either side, making sure the seams are open.

Baste (hand sew) the top edges of the drawstring top and the lining to hold in place.

Sew a 1/2 inch (1.3cm) seam.

Remove basting.

Turn the basket right side out:

Put your fingers through the hole in the bottom of the lining.

Gently pull the exterior of the basket out through the lining.

Close the gap in the lining by sewing a row of stitching near to the edge.

Finishing off:If your machine struggled with the previous section, sewing multiple layers together, you may have to omit the topstitching. The topstitching makes for a more professional finish, but the basket will still be functional without it.

Push the lining back into the basket.

Press the top edge of the basket.

Topstitch 1/8 inch (3mm) from the edge, around the top of the basket.

Cords:

Using a safety pin, thread the first cord through the entire drawstring casing. Both ends of the one cord will come out of the same opening.

Repeat with the second cord and the second opening.

Knot the ends of each cord.

Your fabric basket is finished! It's a long tutorial and looks like a lot of steps, but the Drawstring Top Fabric Basket is not hard to make.

If you use this tutorial to make a Fabric Basket with a Drawstring Top, I'd love to see pictures. Show them off in the Threading My Way ~ Sewn by YOU Flickr group, post them on my Facebook wall or email them.

... PamBecause of the drawstring cord, this basket is not suitable for children under 3 years of age.

27 comments:

I have a drawstring/basket that was made for me by a friend a few years ago - I've never tried making one because it looks like it would be very difficult to put together. Your tutorial actually makes it look doable - love all the photographs!

I made one yesterday afternoon...in about 4.5 hours! The only tricky part was figuring out how to make the openings for the drawstring. I also sewed the bag lining inside out but that was a painless fix. I will email you some photos of my new lunch tote as soon as I get some cording. Thanks for a fantastic tutorial... I love this tote!!

great tutorial thanks for all the great detail ! Would love to see this modified as a backpack suitable for 18 inch doll, I sew for kids on Pine Ridge Reservation, this would be great for doll/gifts I am making for Christmas upcoming and I am not talented enough to alter ! :)

Super cute bag! Quick question though! I want to make a knitting project bag and the finished dimensions given are too small for what I want. How do I enlarge it so the finished dimensions are quite a bit bigger?

Thanks, Susan. I'd need to get the knitting needles out, take measurements and do some Maths to work out new dimensions to turn this into a knitting bag. It might be easier to use an existing tutorial. Here's a few that might suit...http://www.threadingmyway.com/2014/04/drawstring-shoulder-bag-tutorial.html

Hi Pam, thank you for responding back so quickly!! I don't normally use regular knitting needles - mostly circular ones. So the height portion wouldn't be a problem at all! I just want to be able to fit some yarn, the circular needles and small accessories. I'll check out the links you put here to see if they are what I'm looking for. But honestly, I really like the style of your bag. I just want to enlarge it by a few inches all the way around, but wasn't sure how to do that. Could it be as simple as just adding those extra inches on the pieces as I cut them out? I don't know! lol Anyway, again, super cute bag! If I figure this one out I'll let you know! =)

Hi Susan,If you just want to change the width, that should be fairly easy.

When you cut the lining and exterior fabrics, increase the width to whatever you estimate to be the right size. I cut mine to 12" x 9". The 12" side is the one you need to make larger.

When doing the boxed corners, if you leave them as is above, you'll end up with a very rectangular bag, depending on how much you increased the measurement. To make a squarer bag, increase the measurement for the boxed corners, too - but only half as much as the increased width.